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Helicopter crashed in falluja { April 13 2004 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/F8388B06-6A1B-43AB-8DF1-529ADBEA24DA.htmhttp://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/F8388B06-6A1B-43AB-8DF1-529ADBEA24DA.htm
Occupation violates Falluja ceasefire
Tuesday 13 April 2004 7:37 AM GMT
Occupation forces in Iraq have used F16 fighter planes to bomb the Nizal neighbourhood in Falluja, Aljazeera TV's correspondent has reported.
The journalist also said that the occupation on Tuesday pushed several tanks through the only open gateway used as an exit for Iraqi families in an apparent violation of the latest ceasefire in Falluja.
"The invading forces were met with fierce resistance by the Fallouja defenders which forced the US tanks into a quick withdrawal," correspondent Abd al-Azim Muhammad reported.
The US fighter planes dropped stun bombs to cover their troops withdrawal, he added.
US holicopter downed
Also on Tuesday, a US MH-53 helicopter crashed southeast of Falluja and marines who rushed to secure the crash site came under attack and sustained casualties.
A Marine officer said it was not known how many people were aboard the helicopter, which can carry up to 55 people.
He said the aircraft which crashed on Tuesday did not belong to the Marine Corps, but to another US government agency.
Witnesses told Aljazeera that it was hit by ground fire during heavy fighting in the area.
The officer said marines sent to the crash site, some 20km southeast of Falluja, came under attack and sustained unspecified casualties.
As the marines were taking the casualties to a trauma centre, they were ambushed by fighters firing mortars and rocket-propelled grenades and suffered more casualties, the officer said, without giving further details.
The crash came just two days after an Apache helicopter was downed by fighters in the same area with the loss of two crewmen.
Falluja ceasefire
The temporary ceasefire announced on Sunday was renewed late on Monday, said Iraqi negotiators.
A delegation representing the Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS) and the Iraqi Islamic party was sent to Falluja for a third round of negotiations on Monday. The AMS is the highest Sunni authority in Iraq.
The main sticking point is who will take responsibility for security after US forces withdraw, reported Muhammad.
Residents are calling for Iraqi police and civil defence units from the city to replace the troops.
For its part, US forces want to secure promises that they will not be attacked during the withdrawal.
The occupation besieged Falluja, 65km west of Baghdad, nine days ago in an effort to crush the resistance in the city of 300,000. Troops had completely sealed the city, preventing anyone from entering or leaving.
Civilian toll mounts
Since then, the toll among Iraqis in Falluja has topped 700 and another 1200 have been injured, according to medical and US military personnel.
On the ground, minor skirmishes have broken out since the ceasefire, but the situation has been relatively calm.
Iraqi fighters in the Golan neighbourhood, the scene of fierce battles last week, continued to patrol the streets. They have vowed to resume fighting if occupation troops break the ceasefire.
Medical sources at Falluja's only functioning hospital said the main injuries being treated were gunshot wounds inflicted by US snipers, reported our correspondent.
He spoke to civilians at the hospital who said they were fleeing the city when they came under attack. There were several casualties, including a child, the distraught father told him.
Elsewhere, mortar rounds slammed into central Baghdad's busy district on Tuesday, killing an Iraqi motorist, witnesses said.
One bomb landed in a busy street, killing a driver and gouging a crater in the road. Another sent smoke rising from the so-called Green Zone which houses the occupation headquarters. There were no reports of casualties. A third round hit a parking lot by the Tigris.
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